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California
California is one of the fifty states of the United States of America . It is stretched from north to south along the west coast of the country , on the Pacific Ocean . The capital is Sacramento . Los Angeles , San Diego , San Jose , San Francisco , Fresno , Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland are the largest cities.California includes two of the nation's largest metropolitan areas, the Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area . With a population of over 37 million people, California has more residents than any other state in the US. The surface of the State of California is 411 049 km². This is slightly larger than California Germany or Japan and slightly smaller than France . California is the third-largest US state, after Alaska and Texas . California is bordered to the south by the Mexican state of Baja California , on the east by the US states of Arizona and Nevadain the north and the state Oregon . In the west and southwest of the state is bordered by the Pacific Ocean . The California coastline is about 1,400 km long. California has a lot of natural beauty, rich vegetation and diverse fauna. The highest and the lowest point of the 48 continental states of the USA are in this state and it has the largest and tallest trees in the world. There are mountain ranges with ski resorts , but also deserts , glaciers , forests , hilly areas , lakes and beaches . The climate and vegetation vary from dry desert to alpine high mountains . The symbol of the state is the California grizzly bear , which is also depicted on the flag. California's nickname is "the Golden State" (Golden State). Contents * 1 Geographical overview ** 1.1 Central Valley and the Bay Area ** 1.2 North and East ** 1.3 South * 2 Physical Geography ** 2.1 Geology ** 2.2 Climate ** 2.3 Flora and fauna * 3 History ** 3.1 Pre-Columbian time ** 3.2 Spanish colonization ** 3.3 Mexican time and recording in the United States ** 3.4 The gold rush and its aftermath ** 3.5 The twentieth century * 4 Population ** 4.1 Demographics ** 4.2 Language ** 4.3 Religion ** 4.4 Culture and lifestyle ** 4.5 Sport * 5 Government and amenities ** 5.1 Government ** 5.2 Administrative divisions ** 5.3 Politics ** 5.4 Justice ** 5.5 Education * 6 Economics ** 6.1 Agriculture and mining ** 6.2 Industry ** 6.3 Transportation and Infrastructure ** 6.4 Tourism * 7 Footnotes * 8 Literature Geographic overview Physical geographic map of California The Golden Gate Bridge across theGolden Gate is an icon of the city of San Francisco . The round shapes weathering of the mountains in Yosemite National Park in theSierra Nevada is one of the tourist icons of the State of California. Central Valley and the Bay Area The center of the state is an elongated plain, the Central Valley . Due to the fertile soil and favorable climate, the valley has a rich and varied agriculture, where 230 different agricultural products are grown (one third of the total number in the US). Also there is a number of major population centers such as Sacramento (the capital of the state), Modesto and Fresno . The Central Valley is drained by the San Joaquin (southern half) and Sacramento (northern half). The rivers are a major togetherinverted delta , the Sacramento-San Joaquindelta that the Central Valley into two shares and through an irrigation system more than 23 million people (two-thirds of the population of the state) of drinking water provided. The delta is in a largeestuary , most of which the San Francisco Bay is known, while some in the northeast San Pablo Bay hot. The river is the San Pablo Bay connected by Suisun Bay and the Carquinez Strait . The area around the San Francisco Bay area consists of a large urban agglomeration . This is the Bay Area named and includes the cities of San Francisco , San Jose , Oakland and Berkeley . The southern part of the Bay Area, in San Jose, nicknamed Silicon Valley . In this area there is a concentration of computer industry. The San Francisco Bay is via a narrow connection in contact with the ocean. This compound, north of San Francisco, the Golden Gate called. North and east In the east, the Central Valley is bordered by a high mountain range, the Sierra Nevada ( Spanish for snowy mountain range).''This mountain range takes its name from the permanent snow on the highest slopes and forms a barrier between the fertile plains and coastal regions of California and the rest of the United States. Some of the highest peaks are Mount Whitney (4421 meters, the highest peak outside Alaska in the US), Mount Darwin (4218 m) and Mount Ritter (4010 m). In the Sierra Nevada is a number of lakes , including Lake Tahoe (partly in Nevada) and Mono Lake are the largest. The Central Valley is separated from the ocean by the Pacific Coast Ranges and in the south by the Tehachapi Mountains . Both chains are nowhere higher than 2500 meters. North and northeast of the Central Valley are the Cascades , a mountain that is in fact the continuation of the Sierra Nevada but geologically recent volcanic was active. The highest peaks, such as Lassen Peak (3192 m) and Mount Shasta (4317 m), are dormant volcanoes . Along the coast, go to the Coast Ranges to the north of the Klamath Mountains on the border with Oregon. View of downtown Los Angeles with a backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains . East of the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades begins the Basin and Range Province , a vast area that physiographic distinguished by basin and range topography , alternating elongated mountain ranges and flat valleys. East of the Cascades is the Modoc Plateau , which lies partly in Oregon and Nevada. The first valley east of the Sierra Nevada's Owens Valley . This valley separates the Sierra Nevada of the White Mountains , the highest point White Mountain Peak (4344 m). Through the valley flows the Owens River , which until the early 20th century resulted in the lake Owens Lake , but both the river and the lake is now dry due to the draining of water for irrigation and water supply of the city Los Angeles. South In southern California coast deviates inward and is a coastal plain, where Los Angeles is the largest city in the state. Los Angeles is the center of a large urban agglomeration (the Greater Los Angeles Area ), where a total of between 13 and 18 million people live. The urbanized area inland, around the cities of San Bernardinoand Riverside in the San Bernardino Valley , is seen as a separate metropolitan agglomeration, which Inland Empire is mentioned. Off the coast are a number of islands that the Channel Islands are called. Five of the eight Channel Islands are protected in the Channel Islands National Park . Inland from Los Angeles are the Transverse Ranges with the highest point the San Gorgonio Mountain (3501 m) in the San Bernardino Mountains . The interior has no high mountains here, but consists of a basin and range topography. Much of the interior is made up of desert , including in Death Valley , the Colorado Desert (part of the Sonoran desert that extends into Mexico) and the Mojave Desert . Death Valley is the lowest point in North America (at Badwater , 86 meters below sea level). Farther south lies the Salton Sea , a large endoreïsch salt lake . In the east the border with Arizona formed by the Colorado River . In the extreme south lies on the coast, the second largest city of California, San Diego . Physical Geography Geology As a result of the westward movement of North America is in the course of millions of years ocean crust under the edge of North America, the earth sheath in moved , sometimes pieces of the earth's crust to the continent were pressed and there were combined with it in that way. The geology of North America from the western edge consists in that manner merged areas , which pushed together until the mountain ranges and basins of the North American Cordillera . When the sheath in moving pieces of crust created large quantities of magma , which rose to the surface and there for volcanic made. Today only in the Cascades find active volcanoes, but almost all mountains of California have been volcanically active in the past. About 25 million years ago, the changed movement of the tectonic plates of a targeted towards each other to a sliding along each other situation. This movement created a system of zijschuivingsbreuken , the largest of the San Andreas Fault is. The area west of this fault (the coastal strip, which includes the cities of San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco) moves at an average speed of around 5 cm per year to the north compared to the rest of North America. Movement along the fractures is not gradually, but stepwise, wherein the tension builds up to be released at one time in the form of an earthquake . The state has experienced several severe earthquakes in the past. The best known is probably the 1906 earthquake , in which a large part of San Francisco was flattened. More recently, major damage was done by the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 in the Bay Area, where part of the Bay Bridge collapsed, and the Northridge earthquake of 1994 in Los Angeles. Summer often brings fog in the coastal area and the Central Valley, as here around the Golden Gate Bridge. Climate Mainly because of the enormous surface, the topography and the proximity to the ocean California has strong variations in climate. The temperature of the ocean is determined by the California Current , a cold flow along the West Coast. In the summer it often causes fog along the coast. The ocean also produces mild, wet winters and gives the coastal strip in the north, a maritime climate (Cfb in the climate classification of Köppen ) and in the center and south (roughly from Cape Mendocino ) aMediterranean climate (Csb according to Köppen). The ocean is responsible for precipitation , which is met mainly by the western slopes of the Pacific Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada. In some places in the Coast Ranges falls more than 2500 mm of rainfall per year. In the inland and in the south the climate becomes drier. The temperature differences are off shore also bigger: the climate in the interior continentaler . Steppe with typical "Joshua trees" ''(Yucca brevifolia) , Joshua Tree National Park . The Central Valley has a warm Mediterranean climate (CSA according to Köppen), with subtropical warm dry summers and mild wet winters. In large parts of the south and center of the state prevails in the interior a steppe climate (BSk according to Köppen), with significantly colder winters and hotter summers. In the coastal region around San Diego in the far southwest is a warm steppe climate (Koppen: BSh), while many inland areas of the south of the state a desert climate have (Köppen: BWh). InDeath Valley the highest temperatures ever in the Western Hemisphere measured. On July 10, 1913 as the mercury rose to 57 ° C . In July, the average daily temperature in Death Valley 38 ° C. The high mountains, including the Sierra Nevada, Cascades and Klamath Mountains, have a mountain climate (Köppen: EH) with a lot of snowfall in the winter and moderately warm summers. The area in the rain shadow east of the Sierra Nevada has a dry desert climate. California is in contrast to the southeastern United States almost never by hurricanes hit, despite its proximity to the ocean. This is because of the cold California Current and the fact that hurricanes are on the northern hemisphere usually move westward. Flora and fauna Due to the large differences in climate and topography California has a very diverse ecology. The state is in the Nearctic area and includes a number of very differentecoregions and biomes . California has a large number of endemic species , species that occur nowhere else, both plants and animals . These include both relict speciesas species arise by adaptation to local conditions, such as the plant Ceanothus . Botanists see the flora of the areas west of the rain shadow as their own rich flora , theCalifornia Floristic Province . The areas in the east, in the rain shadow of the high mountain ranges consist of desert and Xerophyte bushes. The low-lying areas of southeastern California are part of the ecoregion of the Sonoran Desert , which also covers parts of Arizona. Further north, the Mojave Desert is an ecoregion between which the Sonoran Desert and shrub steppe of the Great Basin in it. Forest on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada consists mainly of giant sequoias''(Sequoiadendron giganteum)'' and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) . The southern and central coastal areas have a vegetation with savanna , oak forest , pine forest , chaparral , and saliebos -struikgewas and grassland , depending on the wind, amount of light, precipitation and soil type . This vegetation is in the south in northwestern Baja California and forms a ring around the Central Valley, where it forms the lower ecozone of the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The Central Valley itself would be covered in natural conditions grassland . Today, native perennial grass types, however, ousted in most places by imported annuals exotics that benefited agriculture. Originally, the grasslands of the Central Valley were grazed by elk (Cervus canadensis) and fork goats (Antilocapra americana) . The pronghorn is now only for the Modoc Plateau, while the elk has virtually disappeared. Many migratory birds use California as a place to overwinter or pulling each year through the state on their way to wintering areas further south. In the Central Valley overwinter large numbers of ducks and geese . Along the seaside walk migration routes of herons and cormorants . A colony of elephant seals off the coast of California. The upper western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and the mountains of northern California are covered with pine forest. In the Sierra Nevada grow giant redwoods (Sequoia giganteum) , the biggest trees in the world. Besides growing in the Coast Ranges of northern California, the tallest trees in the world, these are coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) . The pine forest of the Klamath Mountains has a particularly wide variety of conifer species . The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) , the symbol of California, has been eradicated throughout the state, but the smaller black bear (Ursus americanus) is still in the Sierra Nevada and the northern mountain areas. Like thecoyote (Canis latrans) , the bobcat (Lynx rufus) and the fox (Vulpes vulpes) , which was introduced in the 18th century by European settlers, are black bears sometimes near human settlements, where they learned to search the garbage for food. Other notable species of mammals are the American Badger (Taxidea yew) , the Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis) , the gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and different types of marten (including the rare Fisher (Martes anti pen) ). The ocean and beaches are inhabited by several species of seals , elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) and sea lions . Along the coast is the annual migration route of the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) . Among the raptors of California include the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and the endangered California condor''(Gymnogyps californianus)'' . In California, 48 species are snakes , of which seven belong to the rattlesnakes . There are 12 species of turtles for five of these are sea turtles and only come ashore to lay their eggs. Of the 47 species of lizards, especially the Jackson's Chameleon (trioceros jacksonii) a known type. The subspecies trioceros jacksonii xantholophus is disabled by humans. The amphibians are represented by 30 species of frogs. Two other frog species that is occurring in California originally suspected to be extinct. There will finally 43 species of salamanders in California, belonging to five different families. The California tiger salamander (California tiger salamander) is endemic in this state and nowhere else in the world. History Pre-Columbian time Petroglyph by Chumash Indians. North America was in the last ice age by people colonized, when the Bering Strait was dry and there was a land bridge was between Alaska and Siberia . The area where later the State of California was established, was inhabited from about 15 000 years ago. The oldest human remains found on Santa Rosa Island , at Arlington Springs. The earliest inhabitants of northern California are supposed to Hokan to have belonged. Were probably the Uto-Aztec 's oldest human inhabitants in the desert in the southeast. Just before the Europeans discovered America, the area was populated by an ethnic-linguistic patchwork of peoples. Estimates of the number of residents come out to a minimum of just over 300,000. 6 This is believed to number in the decades before the arrival of the first Europeans in the area had been greatly reduced due to epidemics which had brought the Europeans the US East Coast and traveled out for the explorers and missionaries. 7 The continent much cultural diversity was probably the result of a centuries-long succession of migrations and invasions. California was inhabited by more than seventy different groups. The indigenous people of California were diverse politically organized. Some formed clans or tribes , other (especially in the coastal areas) lived in towns or larger settlements. Military commanders were almost always men, but shamans were often women. Trade, intermarriage and military alliances furthered the social and economic contact between the various groups. The coastal areas were densely populated. The groups living here (including Ohlone , Chumash , Pomo and Salinan ) made boats on marine mammals to hunt and to salmonfishing. Also collected one crustaceans . The coastal peoples lived in villages or settlements. Some groups built round subterranean houses and saunas . Groups in the interior (including Hupa , Karok , Wiyot , Miwok , Modoc , Maidu and Shasta ) lived by hunting wild game and gathering of nuts, acorns and berries. In the dry southeast survived the Mojave and Yuma , the irrigation applied to farm and are known for their ceramics . The first baptism by Franciscan brothersin Alta California. The Spanish Mission San Antonio de Padua , nearly 50 km from King City , founded in 1771. Spanish colonization The name California was first used by the Spanish writer Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo (± 1450-1504). It is the name for a fictional island west of North America in the Montalvo's book Las SERGAS the Esplandian , whose first published around 1496. The Montalvo's paradise island would be populated by Amazons who possessed immense riches and were ruled was named by Queen Calafia, after whom the island. One of the Spanish conquistadors who were influenced by the Montalvo's novel, wasHernán Cortés , which put an end to the Aztec empire and the colony of New Spain founded in present-day Mexico. Cortés explored, looking at the Montalvo's legendary gold empire, the west coast of Mexico. He discovered the southern tip of Baja California and assuming to have found the legendary island he named this area California .In 1539 Cortés sent the explorer Francisco de Ulloa to further recognize the coast of Mexico. Although De Ulloa found that Lower California a peninsula is the misconception long remained intact. Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo (1499 - 1543) was the first Spanish explorer who reached the present-day California. In 1542 his expedition explored the coast to the mouth of the Russian River , north of the Golden Gate. Cabrillo claimed the new territory that Alta California ( Spanish for "Upper California", in distinction from the peninsula of Baja California) was called for Spain . In 1579 explored the English pirate Francis Drake (1540-1596) who preyed on Spanish treasure ships, the Californian coast. He claimed all the land north of the Spanish settlements for England and named it Nova Albion . Both claims were however two centuries not followed by further colonization or military presence, because by now it was clear that there was to find a legendary golden empire in California. From the mid-18th century the British and the Russians to gain interest in Alta California, because of the lucrative trade in otter skins . This alarmed the Spaniards and in 1769 commanded the Spanish Inspector General of New Spain, José de Gálvez (1720-1787), the colonization and conversion of Alta California by Spanish troops andFranciscan monks. The Gálvez sent an expedition led by Captain Gaspar de Portola (1716 - 1784) and the missionary Junipero Serra (1713 - 1784), a presidio (fort) and a mission established in San Diego. The Portola's expedition explored the San Francisco Bay and built a presidio in Monterey , while Serra led an expedition overland to the north. Over the next two years would be through the efforts of the Franciscans over twenty missions across California are founded. Examples include Monterey (1775), San Francisco (1776) and Santa Barbara (1782). A road was constructed by the missions with each other covenant. These El Camino Real (the "royal road") is nowadays still follow. Sometimes the conversion of the indigenous population has been accompanied by violence, but the arable land around a mission was ten years after the foundation distributed over the converted workers of the mission. The Spanish presidio soldiers put more on, but because the salaries are often not paid on time were there were regular mutinies , of which the converted Indian population was the victim. Mutinous soldiers in New Spain were punished with banishment to Alta California, which increased the problem. Therefore, there were regular riots for among the Indians. Ultimately, no mission would be financially independent and proved the colonization and conversion of California for Spain an unprofitable company. Mexican time and recognition in the United States Re-enactment of a caravan of wagons (Mormon -) American settlers on Pioneer Dayin Salt Lake City , Utah , around 1847. After the Spaniards, the Mexican War of Independence (1810 - 1821) lost, also came California under Mexican rule. Meanwhile, there was a wave of immigration has started so-called "rancheros" and other migrants from Mexico. Rancheros (owners of a ranch ) were farmers who had their eye on the fertile plains of California. Because of the almost absence of legal authority ruled the law of the jungle. The indigenous population was often the victim and was driven back to the mountain, killed or converted and put into service. The rancheros regarded the mission as unfair competition because they had access to the free labor of converted Indians. In 1834 they took to dissolve the Mexican government on the missions. While taking the half of the land was destined for the Indian workers of the missions, most of the land ended at a small group of landowners. By shootings and intermarriage was this process, and in 1846 most of the land owned by a few wealthy families. American trappers explored the early 19th century the wilderness northeast of California and discovered the routes to the west. In their wake, drew a stream of American settlers in covered wagons and cattle in California over the mountain passes on their way to what they saw as the promised land in the West. Many immigrants used the southern route of the Santa Fe Trail and the Sierra Nevada through the desert. Others used the Northern California Trail along the Humboldt River through the Great Basin and over the Cascades or the Oregon Trail to Oregon, then to through the Siskiyou Trail to attract still southward to California. The journey was long and it was exposed to various hardships. A famous example was the experience of the Donner Party , which became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada and part of which would have survived by cannibalism. The growing presence of American colonists political interest of the United States in the field, also founded because the Americans feared that the British would take over sooner or later from Mexico. The US president Andrew Jackson Mexico offered half a million dollars for the area, but this offer was declined. After US President James K. Polk in 1846 Texas annexed, which had previously declared itself independent of Mexico, broke the US-Mexican War from. Because Mexico threatened all the settlers who are not Mexican nationals were turning from California, arrived on June 14, 1846 a group of American settlers in Sonomarebelled against Mexican authority by the California Republic proclaim. They used a flag with a grizzly bear, who is currently the official flag of the state is. Three weeks later arrived American troops, California in the United States inlijfden. The annexation was recognized by Mexico two years later, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of February to March 1848. It is estimated that the area in 1848 had fewer than 15,000 non-indigenous people. The gold rush and its aftermath An advertising poster for the trip by ship to California during the gold rush in 1849. Professional Californian gold mine in a riverbed, 50s of the 19th century. Festive deposit of the last traces of the east coast with the west coast of the United States undertake in Utah , 1869. Painter:Thomas Hill . The number of immigrants taken just before 1850 rapidly as a result of the discovery of gold . The first discovery, in January 1848, was the American River at the spot where the miners after the town of Coloma founded. 10 Soon it was also discovered in various parts of northern California gold. The news spread quickly and brought the gold rush started. Large numbers of adventurers pulled by boat or overland to California, from not only the United States but also from South America , Mexico , the Chinese Empire ,Australia and Europe . In total, more than 300,000 new migrants to California. Because the infrastructure in California was not up to the huge numbers of newcomers often slept in tents. The village grew up in San Francisco a few years into a major fishing port of stocks and commodities. The first miners were still using simple methods such as gold panning in rivers, if they were lucky and could quickly earn thousands of dollars. Because California at the beginning was not a state with laws or a functioning judiciary, the rights were claims often violently fought. Already in 1853, the yield of individual claims, however, was dropped so far that more professional methods had to be found, such as hydraulic mining . 11 also began in the bedrock to go search for gold, dangerous work where blasting portions of mountains were are inflated. In the later years of the gold rush was the extraction of gold in the hands of a few wealthy businessmen, while the average adventurer there was little richer. With declining revenues of claims, the epidemics due to the absence of sanitation facilities and the rising prices of living, a growing need for a scapegoat . Indians were denied the right to earn money from gold mining. Protectionist laws locks South Americans and Chinese out of work, land or obtaining American citizenship. Still there was great lawlessness. To put things took the San Francisco public law into their own hands by a vigilantencomité to put criminals and corrupt leaders hung on. Other political initiatives led to the drafting of a constitutionand the admission of California as the 31st state of the United States as part of the 1850 compromise . Between 1863 and 1869 by two railway companies, the Union Pacific Railroad from the east and the Central Pacific Railroad built from the west, a railroad through the Sierra Nevada. The hard work was done by Chinese workers, who by now had been excluded from other work. The thus built Transcontinental Railroad covenant California by rail with the eastern United States and shortened the traveling time from a few months to a few days. The fast-growing population of California led to an equally rapid growth of agriculture in the center and south of the state, especially when during the American Civil War (1861-1865) the supply of agricultural products from the east came to a standstill. A new wave of immigrants began, this time farmers. The demand for water for agriculture grew, which led to a number of violent conflicts, called the California Water Wars . Destruction and burning in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake . Rampant gold mining had caused enormous damage to the environment: logging and quarrying led to erosion of fertile land, rivers were polluted with heavy metals. In response arrived in California as one of the first places in the world the nature of. Nature movement was led by John Muir (1838 - 1914) and he founded the Sierra Club .Yosemite Valley , both in 1864 was the first protected area of the United States and in 1890 Yosemite and Sequoia National Park founded. The novel Ramona proving extremely successful in romanticizing the Spanish-Mexican heritage of California. Since its publication coincides with the opening of the railway to Los Angeles, tourists come after 1884 in large flows to Southern California to be the places to see in the novel. The twentieth century After the earthquake of 1906 was a big part of San Francisco in ruins. The residents seized the reconstruction of the city to deal with corrupt politicians, prostitution and inadequate facilities. The Progressive Party , which in 1912 split off from the Republicans, was popular in California, mainly because voters were corrupt drivers sat. The new party also protested against the political power of the Southern Pacific Railway and allied himself with the relatively powerful unions in California. The unions were formed in San Francisco and proliferated in the early 20th century on the Central Valley and Los Angeles. They formed themselves into a political party ( Union Labor Party ), which briefly gave the mayor of San Francisco. The secular majority and the Liberals saw the unions as a threat to the free market and has sometimes acted tough against strikes. Despite California to steer a progressive course, companies were imposed taxes, public services were brought under state control and California was the first state which introduced a modern pension system. California gave women the vote in 1911, nine years before it was regulated at national level. Behind these developments, however, were not only the unions but also groups of liberal businessmen, for whom a powerful state offered protection against corrupt local governments and crime. The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad had caused a growing stream of migrants from the eastern United States, attracted by the fertile land and sunny climate of the state. Progressive politicians like Governor CC Young (1927 - 1931) stimulated economic growth through the increase of public investments. Among other hydroelectric power stations such as the Hoover Dam built (the dam is located in Nevada but provides southern California current) and an extensive road network, financed by taxes on fuel. The construction of highways as the Lincoln Highway (1913) and Route 66 (1926) made the state even more accessible. The increased prosperity brought besides more migrants also the first tourism started. At the same time gave the Mexican Revolution (1910 - 1921) for a flow of refugees from Mexico, who brought their left-revolutionary ideas. Especially Los Angeles grew into a " boomtown "and would most populous become the second city in the United States. The city hosted the Olympics in 1932 . The attraction of California was reinforced by the rise of the film industry in Hollywood from 1908. The inventor Philo Farnsworth (1906-1971), succeeded in 1927 in the first television broadcast to. In the course of the 20th century would be the wild, lawless image of the state by the media to be replaced by an image of sea, sun, sand and surf . Meanwhile arrived in the 30s of the 20th century, a new flow of migrants started in the form of the victims of the drought and dust storms ( Dust Bowl ) in Texas, Oklahoma and other states in the Great Plains . Burning buildings during the riots of 1965in Los Angeles. California did not escape the Great Depression , which led to social unrest. Unions did in 1934 with a 83-day strike better working conditions and wages to enforce forstevedores and longshoremen. During the strike, however, was the violent riots arrived in San Francisco. After the United States became involved in World War II did President Roosevelt in 1942, hundreds of thousands of Japanese California residents imprisoned in concentration camps . The subsequent lawsuits gave rise to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , which gave all American citizens equal rights. Hollywood Directors and actors who because of the suspicion of communist sympathies of the film industry were excluded, hitched lawsuits, which led to California courts in 1962 put an end to theMcCarthyism . That same year knew farmworkers led by union leader Cesar Chavez (1927 - 1993) to enforce better working conditions. The years immediately after the war were a period of economic growth, another year of explosive population growth. In 1970, California's population was due to migration and the baby boom had grown to nearly 20 million. Property Traders in the war years had bought land, saw increase the value of their property, as far as real estate the oil industry and agriculture overtook the main sector of the economy. The left image of California was strengthened during the Summer of Love of 1967, when thousands of hippies moved to San Francisco to listen to music and marijuanasmoke. It has been demonstrated against the Vietnam War . The important cultural role of the film industry was confirmed when California in 1966 former actor Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) to governor chose. The 1960s and 1970s saw besides the hippie movement, an enormous industrial and economic growth, including the rise of Silicon Valley and the computer industry. The latter arose in 1968, after the first computer was produced. Also, California, with the creation ofGenentech in 1976, birthplace of the genetic technology . Also politically California fulfilled in many ways a pioneer. In 1978, Proposition 13 passed. This amendment to the Constitution was originally intended to limit increases in property taxes, but proved to be a structural change in the political system. California led with Proposition 13 is a form of direct democracy in which citizens and interest groups were great opportunities for using referendums to block unwelcome legislation and tax increases. Subsequent problems to keep the state budget balanced in his carry significant return on this amendment. 12 In 1994, California was one of the first states the Three strikes law introduced. In a referendum 72% of the population voted for this law, which stipulated that judges always a life sentence had to be imposed as a suspect for the third time, was found guilty of a crime. Economic growth was not without problems. The different metropolises were faced with smog - and congestion and again California pioneer in environmental legislation in the fields of carpool lanes , cleaner fuels and catalysts . In the big cities arose social and ethnic tensions in the disadvantaged immigrant neighborhoods . Dissatisfaction with discrimination and the disadvantaged position of the Latin American and African-American populations led to the riots of 1965 and the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. Los Angeles, however, was also re-organized the Summer Olympics in 1984 . Economic growth continued in the last decades of the 20th century, mainly driven by the computer industry in Silicon Valley. When the Internet bubble burst at the beginning of the 21st century California was also hit harder. At the peak of the bubble immigration of highly trained technicians were actively encouraged by the state. Since then, the political migration are trying harder to make, but many companies moved their operations to low-wage countries such as India and China , and employment remained disappointing. In 2007 there was a crash in the housing market. Politics, however, proved too divided to intervene. This raised the government deficit in 2009 and the state threatened to go bankrupt. This ultimately prevented by Democratic and Republican politicians at the last minute was able to reach an agreement. The financial problems of the state are thus not. The government deficit is every year and the economic outlook is far less rosy than during the turn of the century. Population Demographics Map of population density (scale in people per square mile ). According to estimates by the US Census Bureau California had in 2009 36.961.664 inhabitants, according to the state itself which was 38,292,687. This is California (since 1962), the largest US state in terms of population. California had been an independent country, it had taken the 35th place in the world. Thanks to the high natural population growth and large foreign immigration (mainly from neighboring Mexico), the population continues to be relatively fast growth (around half a million per year), compared to most other states. The domestic immigration , however, is negative: more people are moving from California to other states than vice versa. Eight of the fifty largest US cities are in California: Los Angeles (3.8 million inhabitants, the second city of the USA), San Diego (1.3 million inhabitants, eighth), San Jose(1.0 million inhabitants, tenth) , San Francisco (0.8 million inhabitants, twelfth), Fresno (0.5 million inhabitants), Sacramento (0.5 million inhabitants), Long Beach (0.5 million inhabitants) and Oakland (0.4 million inhabitants). Multi-ethnic crowd around a street artistwho breakdance arts exhibits, Fisherman's Wharf , San Francisco. The American Community Survey between 2006 and 2008 shows that during this period 58.8% of Californians white Americans were (almost 22 million people, 42.3% non-white Hispanics), 35.9% Hispanics , 12.3 % Asian Americans (about 4.5 million), 6.2% African Americans (2.2 million people) and 0.7% Indians. In addition, there are several smaller groups, including the Philippines , Iranians , Koreans , Japanese and Vietnamese . California is one of four states where white Americans without Hispanics constitute a majority of the population, although it is the state with the most white Americans. The state has a rapidly growing percentage of Hispanics due to immigration, particularly from Mexico. These immigrants settled mainly in the south of the state, around the cities of San Diego and Los Angeles. In Mariposa County is still alive a very small community Californio , Hispanic residents who are descendants of Mexican settlers for joining the United States. The Chinese population has been present since the 1850s gold rush. California has about a third of all Asian Americans in the US, particularly San Francisco and the Bay Area have large Asian communities. In 2006 the state of California had 696 600 inhabitants settled into one of the Native American Indian groups. Making it the state with the largest number of native Americans . Language [ edit ] Roman Catholic cathedral in San Jose . It is estimated that in the state of California more than two hundred languages are spoken, including many Native American languages . This makes the linguistic probably one of the most diverse areas in the world. English is the official language since 1986 of the California Government, although almost all official government documents are also available in Spanish. English is the most common language: in 2005 it was the mother tongue of about 57.59% of the population. For 28.21% was the Spanish , a language that especially in southern California in everyday use is prevalent. Additionally, in 2005 the California population 2.04% Filipino , 1.4% Vietnamese , 1.05%Korean , 0.63% Cantonese and 0.43% Mandarin speakers. It is estimated that originally twice as many indigenous languages existed in the state. The surviving indigenous languages have all the endangered status , despite efforts to revive them. English only since the gold rush widely available in California. In the beginning, emphasis will be mainly influenced by the native languages of the immigrants. From language studies around the Second World War showed no difference between the English spoken in California and in other regions in the western United States . 17Today, however, some linguists speak of a native dialect . Examples of typical Californian words "awesome" (crazy), "hapa" (a person of multi-ethnicity), "totally" (completely) and "dude" (guy). Due to the dominant position of the media and Hollywood movie industry from Californian English has a large influence on that of the rest of the United States and even the rest of the world. Interior of Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove ( Reformed Church ), an example of a Californian megachurch . Religion [ edit ] About two thirds of the population of California is a believer, which the state is less religious than the average of all fifty states. California is the largest religion in theRoman Catholic Church , with over 10 million members, especially among the Hispanic population group (Hispanics). Other Christian groups include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the Southern Baptist Convention , both in California have more than half a million members. There are a number of Protestantmega-churches in California. The Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, for example, the headquarters of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel , can accommodate more than 5,000 worshipers. Christian groups have played a major role in the American colonization of California, as Mormon settlers founded the city of San Bernardino and populated them the settlement Yerba Buena, later San Francisco. There are approximately one million Muslims and a million Jews in California. The city of Los Angeles has 550,000 Jewish inhabitants, which is the second largest Jewish city in North America. California also has a large Buddhist community, particularly among the Asian part of the population. The Hsi Lait Empel near Los Angeles and the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Ukiah are among the largest Buddhist temples outside of Asia. Culture and lifestyle Surfer in Santa Cruz . Walt Disney Concert Hall , Concert Hall in Los Angeles. California seems socially and culturally very similar to the rest of the western United States, a culture that comes from the Wild West of the nineteenth century. In addition, particularly the large groups of East Asian (especially in the Bay Area) and Latin America (especially in the south) immigrants had a strong influence: the state is often called a "melting pot" (melting pot) called from different cultures. San Francisco has among other things one of the largest Chinatowns outside of Asia has and Los Angeles next to a Chinese neighborhood, a Japanese and a Korean neighborhood. The writer was born in Salinas Californian (and Nobel laureate) John Steinbeck (1902-1968) described in his work extensively the history and culture of multicultural immigrant society California. Hollywood California possession with the major part of the US film industry and an important part of other US media. Around Hollywood is home to many of the Americanstars , what the whole state gives a glamorous image. Surfing in from Hawaii introduced in California at the beginning of the twentieth century and then became a stereotype of the California lifestyle. In the years after the Second World War began in Los Angeles skateboarding as a pastime for surfers when no waves were available.In the 60s, California was sung by groups like the Beach Boys , who is the general public an image of sunny beaches, a leisurely lifestyle, girls in bikinis and surfer dudes gifts. This image was further spread by the media in Hollywood, for instance thanks to series such as Baywatch . Research has shown that the effective population also suffers less burnouts and neuroticismen . Due to the healthier climate and food also suffer fewer people to obesitythan in the rest of the United States, although the US auto and snack culture also in California is omnipresent. That is not to say that life is as easy as the stereotyped thinking. Eight of the ten most expensive US cities are in California and most Californians can no apartment for rent afford. Both San Francisco and Los Angeles has many acclaimed museums and theaters and a vibrant nightlife scene. Known California or California resident writers among others, Ken Kesey , Michael Chabon , Ray Bradbury , Alice Walker and Isabel Allende . The great diversity of cultures makes for a very varied cuisine. San Francisco has a lot of Asian restaurants, particularly in the southern part of the state's Mexican cuisine evident. California also has its own kitchen. Guitar music was far before the Beach Boys introduced by the Mexicans in California, with well-known nineteenth-century guitar virtuosos like Manuel Y. Ferrer and Luis T. Romero . When the state in the 40s was flooded with marines on leave from the war with Japan, San Francisco developed a vibrant jazz scene , especially bebop . The 50s saw the rise of the so-called cool jazz of Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker . The state also has had a large share in the American pop music. Thus, world famous popand rock bands like No Doubt , Red Hot Chili Peppers and Linkin Park in California. An alternative pop music style that originated in California skate punk , with The Offspring and Green Day are the best known examples. Even hip-hop is represented in the form of so-called westcoast hip hop , mainly in the 90s was dominant. Famous artists are Tupac Shakur , Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre . Originally a California native variant is gangsta rap , a style in which a violent lifestyle and great personal image andlibido 's central. Cheerleaders from the University of California - Los Angeles during a football match . Sports The Olympics were held thrice in California: the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984 in Los Angeles and the Olympic Winter Games of 1960 in Squaw Valley . During the1994 soccer World Cup games were played in the Stanford Stadium south of San Francisco and the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. The state organizes the annual California State Games , an Olympics based tournament for amateur athletes. California has more professional clubs in major leagues than any other state and which clubs have large amounts supporters. Especially for matches between clubs from the same region ( derbies ) is a large part of the population behind the TV. The most popular sports are, as in the rest of the US, baseball , basketball and American football . California baseball teams in the Major League Baseball , the Los Angeles Dodgers , the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim , the Oakland Athletics , the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants . The basketball teams in the NBA , the Los Angeles Lakers , the Los Angeles Clippers , the Golden State Warriors , the Sacramento Kings and the women (in the WNBA ), the Los Angeles Sparks . American football is represented by the Oakland Raiders , San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers . Also, ice hockey is popular: the San Jose Sharks , Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings play in the National Hockey League . Football (American "soccer") is played by Los Angeles Galaxy , Chivas USA and San Jose Earthquakes . Sports teams from California universities also among the national top. These also have a large following among the people of the place where they are located. Government and provisions California State Capitol in Sacramento , where the Legislature of the State is located. Government California is governed as a republic with a clear separation of powers . The Legislature , the California State Legislature , consists of two chambers of deputies, a bearing housing and an upper house (or Senate). The upper house, the California State Senate , has 40 members who each constituency represented. The lower house, the''California State Assembly'' , has 80 members, who each represent a constituency. There are elections every two years. The constituencies for the two houses are not classified together and are such that each district has about the same population. Until recently, politicians could constituencies after each election reclassify, something often by " gerrymandering happened. " This means that some districts had been complicated topographical shape and was actually known in advance which candidate would be chosen. In 2010, the voters decided, however, to establish a committee to, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission , which was charged with redrawing the districts for the 2012 election result among the California counties, both for the state legislature, as for the congressional districts Now among the most competitive in the country. The executive branch is headed by a governor who is elected every four years by the population. The governor is responsible for so-called "departments", government agencies that deal with a specific area. Most departments are located in Sacramento and are grouped into "agencies". Besides the governor, there is also a lieutenant governor who functions as deputy governor and chairman of the upper house. Other officials with roles similar to those of ministers , the Attorney General (the head of the judiciary and police ), a Secretary of State (oversees elections and referendums), a State Treasurer (oversees the finances of the State), a State Controller (checks the expenditures of the state), an Insurance Commissioner (about the insurance scheme ) and a Superintendent of Public Instruction (about education ). All these officials are elected directly by the people in separate elections. In 2011, Jerry Brown 's Democratic Party elected governor of the state of California, he was previously governor from 1975 to 1983. How the government of California operates, is in its own constitution , which can be adjusted via referendums . Both the governor and the two chambers when the people (by petition ) may initiate a referendum. Classification of California counties . Administrative divisions California is divided into 58 counties that make up the local government. These 58 counties contain 480 municipalities : 22 " towns "and 458" city's ", the majority within one of the five metropolitan regions of the state is. The city's state recognizes two types: so-called "charter cities" which are controlled with its own charter and so-called "general law cities', which follow the general laws of the state. Most of the city are of the latter type, but the older, including the ten largest cities in the state, all have their own charter. Wind farm in the Tehachapi Mountains .California has for the United States for a relatively large share of green energy . Politics Inland, the Central Valley and the southern part of the state (in the densely populated Los Angeles County after) vote predominantly for the Republicans . The coastal areas including Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento the capital vote mainly on the Democrats . Until 1992, the state went to US presidential electionsalmost always to the Republicans. The same was true for elections to the US Senate . The growing proportion of minorities among the population (mainly through immigration of Latin Americans from Mexico), the balance in the 90s , however, overturn in favor of the Democrats. Both delegates at the national level and at the level of state since mostly are Democrats. However, there are notable exceptions, such as the election of Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor in 2003 and 2006. Successful Republican candidates in California are often seen as relatively moderate compared with the national party line of the Republican Party. California has a very large budget deficit , so that during the 2000s it was feared that the state bankruptcy could go. The politicians could not agree how often cut had to be: for the Democrats slashing public services is taboo, while Republicans want no tax increases. Neon signs for medical marijuana in Los Angeles The people of California, especially in coastal areas such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, are generally more progressive place than the average resident of the United States. They are less averse to a different or alternative lifestyle, have strongly different religious beliefs and relatively attach great importance to environmental protection . The gay marriage was declared legal by the Supreme Court of the State in June 2008, but half a year later after a referendum ( Proposition 8 ) again abolished by an amendment of the constitution . After a long legal battle to be there since June 28, 2013 consummated again marriages between two people of the same sex. California also has a very liberal drug policy . It was in 1996 by referendum the first state in the US that medicinal use legalized. This law gave California residents with a doctor's prescription to possess marijuana law, use, cultivate and purchase in special stores. In 2010 was a proposal to legalize marijuana , however, rejected by referendum. Because of high land prices many Californians have a large portion of their money in Land or property deeds. Things that can bring down the price of land, such as the construction of new airports , prisons or military installations are therefore often subject of political controversy. California has a higher proportion of green energy than the rest of the United States, mainly wind power and hydropower . The state uses since the late 70s a moratoriumon the construction of new nuclear power plants due to concerns about the storage of radioactive waste . Another subject of debate within the environmental problems of water. The dry densely populated south has an ever growing need for water, also because of the salinization of groundwater in coastal areas. However, the north of the state is not without locks more prepared more water to the south. In the big cities of California (especially Los Angeles) forming armed gangs a serious problem for security. Private gun ownership is therefore also a subject of political debate. Since 1990, the possession of certain firearms is a crime , although this does not apply to all weapons. Weapon Permits are in urban counties granted only in exceptional cases, while in the rural counties is just quite easy to get a gun. Justice California has about 1,600 judges . To judge has become since 1974 a degree in the rights required. The laws of the state is based on British common law (as in almost all US states), although a number of characteristics are taken from the Spanish civil law , such as the principle of community of property . The state uses the death penalty , which is possible only through lethal injection . Since 2006, however, the state has a de facto moratorium on the death penalty. The law stipulates namely that only a physician may perform the execution, but all doctors consider this contradicts their professional oath . Under common law, the principle of stare decisis (a form of jurisdiction ). An appeal is possible to the Courts of Appeal and finally to the Supreme Court of California , the Supreme Court of the state. The latter also has original jurisdiction in certain cases, such as in the case of habeas corpus . The Supreme Court consists of seven judges appointed by the governor of the state. Education The campus of the University of California at Berkeley . As in the rest of the United States, the education system in California consists of three layers: primary , secondary and higher education . Compared to other states, California has a relatively small budget for education and the number of teachers per student is among the lowest in the United States. Secondary education consists of mostly public " high schools ". Then you can opt for a two-year course at one of the 110 community colleges in the state. With more than 2.5 million students is the California Community Colleges System is one of the largest programs of higher education in the world. The state then has two university systems, the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) . The CSU has more than 400,000 students spread over 23 campuses , with which it is the largest university system of the United States. However, the CSU performed little research and focuses on education. The UC has nearly 200,000 students and ten campuses, the largest being the University of California at Berkeley and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) . Both are among the most highly regarded universities in the world. The UC is focused on scientific research, has more money available per student and is more highly than the CSU universities. Also, the state has some highly regarded private universities , such as Stanford University (based in Palo Alto ), California Institute of Technology (CalTech , based inPasadena ), the University of Southern California (USC , based in Los Angeles) and Claremont Colleges (located in Claremont ). Economy Share of the various sectors to the gross domestic product of California in 2008. The gross regional product of California was in 2007, before the credit crisis , 1.812 billion US dollars. This California accounted for 13% of the gross domestic product of the US Was the state was an independent country, it would have been the ninth largest economy in the world (or when the purchasing power parity as a measure is taken, the twelfth largest economy). The gross domestic product per capita that year was 38 956 dollars. The California economy is heavily dependent on trade , about a quarter of the economy is trade with foreign countries. In 2008, the state exported 144 billion dollars. The main export product (about 42% of total exports) are computers and electronics. The main foreign investors in the state are Japan , the United Kingdom , Switzerland , Germany and France . Foreign investment in 2005 accounted for 4.2% of all employment. In 2007, the lag unemployment just below 6%, but due to the credit crisis had risen in 2009 to 12%. 19 The distribution of wealth is skewed. Some of the wealthiest areas in the US are in the state, such as La Jolla in San Diego, Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, Newport Beach in Orange County and San Francisco . The average house price in the state is about $ 500,000 but in this place against the 2 million dollars. Also, the state has some very poor areas: some parts of the Central Valley are among the poorest areas in the US Viticulture in Paso Robles . Agriculture and mining Agriculture since the wave of immigration from poor farmers from the middle of the US in the 30s has become a major source of income. In 2009, agriculture was directly responsible for 2% of gross domestic product. California is best known for fruit (especially citrus fruits ) and wine , but also vegetables and dairy products are important.Agriculture is concentrated in the Central Valley and in the Los Angeles area in the south of the state. The last area is dependent on irrigation water supply from the north.Since the second half of the 20th century within the agricultural widespread use of illegal, and therefore cheap labor from Mexico. Because the illegal workers arrive by the California border shallow rivers they wetbacks called (natruggen). In the early twentieth century professionalized the California fruit. The Californian fruit that is exotic in the eastern US, was partly by Sunkist useful as a brand on the market. Today, California is by far the largest exporter of fruit in the US California owns about 90% of all wine in the US and exports wine all over the world. Grape growing was already longer, but wine production began only in the 60s on a large scale. Nowadays viticulture found along almost the entire length of the coastal mountain regions , in the Central Valley and in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The main wine regions of the US by the US Government American Viticultural Area called (AGM). Known AVAs in California Napa Valley , Russian River Valley , Rutherford and Sonoma Valley . The biggest wine region is the vast Central Valley, where are grown around 75% of all Californian grapes. In the last decade of the nineteenth century in various places in California petroleum discovered. Today is drilled for oil in the Central Valley to Bakersfield , in the Los Angeles Basin at Long Beach and Los Angeles and the coast between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Industry After WWII the aviation industry grew strongly, such as Lockheed , Convair and later the space . The rise of television led to growth of the entertainment industry in Hollywood. An important factor in California's economic growth were universities UCLA , Berkeley and Stanford . This played a major role in the rise of ICT in the 1970s, and in the area around Mountain View originated (south of San Francisco), the largest concentration of high-tech industries in the world. This area was therefore nicknamed Silicon Valley . Apple , Google , Hewlett-Packard , Xerox , Intel , Sun Microsystems , eBay , AMD , Facebook and McAfee are among the businesses that are located there. Toyota launched a car plant in 1984 in a joint venture with General Motors in Fremont , east of San Francisco. Transport and infrastructure Interstate 80 in Berkeley . California has an extensive road network, which is maintained by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) . Because of the car culture is the problem of traffic jams in major cities despite public transport in places large. The main motorways ("freeways") from north to south, the Route 101 , which include the Golden Gate Bridge is, and I-5 that runs from the Mexican border at San Diego along Los Angeles and the Central Valley. An alternative to the I-5 is the State Route 99 , which connects the cities in the east of the Central Valley with one another. Along the coast is the much smaller State Route 1 , known for its panoramic views. The I-15 connecting Los Angeles to Las Vegas ( Nevada ). From east to west the I-40 and I-10 at the Greater Los Angeles to Tucson and Phoenix in Arizona connect the I-8 linking San Diego to Tucson, Route 50 from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and Carson City(Nevada) and the I-80 from San Francisco to Reno (Nevada). In the north are next to I-5 and Route 101 also Route 97 and Route 199 links to Oregon. The largest airports in California are Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport , which mainly air links with the Pacific and the eastern United States. There are dozens of smaller airports in the state. California has several important seaports , such as Los Angeles ports lying together and Long Beach , which together form the largest cargo port in the United States, responsible for about a quarter of all container throughput in the country. The Port of Oakland, another major transhipment port, the fourth port of the US The theme park Disneyland in Anaheim , near Los Angeles , is a major tourist attraction. Public transport is generally better developed than in the rest of the US, although it certainly is not as extensive as in Europe. Inter-regional rail transport (both freight andpassenger ) is operated by Amtrak California , a partnership between Amtrak and Caltrans. Because no trace is between all cities, Amtrak California operates on certain routes with buses. Los Angeles and San Francisco have both a metro and a light rail ; San Jose, San Diego and Sacramento only have a light rail. In the Bay Area, regional trains operated by ACE , BART and Caltrain in Greater Los Angeles by Metrolink and San Diego by Sprinter and Coaster . Although most of the county's buses have some rural areas is poorly accessible by public transport. Plans for a high-speed train ( California High-Speed Rail ) to San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Oakland and San Francisco will link are at an advanced stage. The first trains will drive around 2020. Tourism California has a large variety of tourist attractions. Combined with a warm and sunny climate they ensure that all the US states of California receives the largest number of foreign tourists. Tourism is therefore an important source of income. The cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles attract the most visitors, both domestic and foreign tourists. In San Francisco, the center of Chinatown and the harbor at Fisherman's Wharf , the prison island of Alcatraz , the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park 's main attractions. In the Los Angeles area are the amusement park Disneyland (in Anaheim ), with Hollywood movie studios and theme parks of Warner Bros. andUniversal Studios , and the promenades and marinas of Santa Monica and Venice Beach . Los Angeles also has many internationally renowned museums such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art , the J. In San Diego are the dolphinarium SeaWorld and the California version of Legoland 's main attractions. The long coastline of California also attracts tourists, especially in the sunny south of the state. However, large parts of the coast not consist beach but off cliffs . California also offers a wide range of natural attractions, including a large number of national parks . Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada attracts the most visitors. The Yosemite Valley is known for its waterfalls , huge redwoods and cliffs. Other tourist locations in the Sierra Nevada Sequoia National Park , Kings Canyon National Park (one of the deepest canyons in the world), Red Rock Canyon and Lake Tahoeon the border with Nevada. In the desert in the south of the state are located in Joshua Tree National Park , Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve . To the north are the volcanoes of Lassen Volcanic National Park and Mount Shasta and the Redwood National Park , where the tallest trees grow in the world. In 2013 was the Pinnacles National Monument in the Central Coast region of the Pinnacles National Park. Category:California